Metal detecting on a MMDC rally near Birmingham.

I would like to start this blog of with a massive thank you to all who were involved with the setting up and running of the rally. Here is a link to MMDC web site.
It has been a lean time for detectorists over the last month or so with the inclement weather being the main problem. The other problem is that most fields are being seeded, or are already in seed. that leaves pasture land as the main stay of detctorists. Now there lies another problem as warm wet weather makes grass grow, and long grass and detectors don't mix well.
About 60 detectorists had turned up to catch a few rays and enjoy a healthy day out in the wilderness.
There were 70 acres on offer, most of it had some remnants of ridge and furrow showing in the topography. the grass indeed was very long in a couple of the fields which made detecting difficult. The weather was set fair as the 9am start approached.

A quick demonstration from some of the very friendly stewards on how to dig and refill you holes in pasture was observed by the eager crowd, then off we went.

My first find was a 1940 penny with a lovely patina on it.  

Possible mount with red inlay.

The going was tough in the first field i headed for with the grass keeping the search coil at least 3 inches from the soil. The weather however was fantastic, which always adds value to the experience. digging conditions were perfect with the sandy soil giving up its secrets readily. i moved across the road to the field behind the farmhouse where i found what i thought was my oldest find. i think it is a decorative mount with red enamel inlay, but i would accept any observations (no its not a shotgun cap).

Directly behind the farmhouse i found a rather large workhouse token the likes of which i had never seen before.

Birmingham Workhouse 1815 copper penny token:

Obv: BIRMINGHAM 1815 ONE PENNY, view of workhouse.Rev: ONE POUND NOTE PAYABLE AT THE WORKHOUSE FOR 240 TOKENS above and below shield of arms.Weight 70 grams, dia: 45mm

Workhouse token.

A rather nice intact buckle came up from the same location.

I had noticed that rather a lot of what appeared to be charcoal flakes were spread throughout the soil in the field behind the farmhouse. I then moved into the furthest field from the car park which was littered with ring pulls, the grass was almost unworkable in this field, consequently I did not last long in there.

I popped back to the car park to have my finds photographed and to take on a drink and a snack. A couple of the guys had found hammies which spurred me on a bit, as the thought of a nice piece of silver in my hand seems to give me a lift.

Cattle tag.

I then set off for the narrow strip of field which had the most defined ridge and furrow on it. Here I found that 9 inches bellow the surface was a heavy layer of charcoal (burning). It was in this layer that I found most of my finds.

1 of two George ii farthings.

Silver bracelet.

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the layer of burning as it was well defined in all of the fields. My own thoughts were that at some point the land had been allowed to fall into a wild state, and then it had been cleared by burning, but that's only a view of my own, please post your own ideas in the comments.

Ear ring with gold gilt on it.

I went on to find a silver bracelet without hall marks, which had a flower decoration around it. and what I believe may be furniture mounts in the way of a leaf and a flower.
There were two rig like objects and a fairly modern looking pendant with text on it. Two buttons came up with gold gilding on them. I think this is gods on way of torturing detectorists as when you turn that clod over and out pops a circular gold item, your heart misses a beat.

I also uncovered a small gold gilt link or ear ring along with tiny watch winder, which I seem to find on a regular basis.

The whole day was a fantastic experience, which i send my thanks for to the organiser.
I arrived back home at about 5.30pm with a sun tan and the onset of severe man flue!

What to expect on your first rally, and what to take with you.

So the time has come when you feel confident enough to sign up for a rally.

But what is a rally all about?

A rally can be one of three things in my humble opinion;

1) A club event for members only. This is a very safe event with a club where you have become a member. Clubs often put on events for their membership on tried and trusted land. There won't be any toilets available on most of these digs, so make sure you have not had a Vindaloo and 12 pints of larger on the previous evening.

2) An open event put on by an established club. These events are put on every now and then to generate income into the club, and also to bring in new members. They are generally well run and reliable events with friendly marshals and readily available information. It is a very safe bet for someone who wishes to dip their toe in the organised dig scene. Again, there is probably not going to be a toilet available.

3) An open event put on by someone who wants to generate an income or turn a profit. These events are put on solely to generate money, and run like a business. This should not put one off attending, as some of these digs are fantastically successful and a ball of fun.  Events of this type can be full weekenders (camping), where entertainment may be available on the evenings as well as refreshments. It can be a truly amazing experience. On the other hand it should be noted that occasionally fraudster's have seen these events as a great opportunity to help relive you of your hard earned. If you do plenty of research and stay in touch with events through forums and magazines you should be safe. Don't hand any money over until you are sure it’s a good thing. These events often have toilets (thunderboxes) available. 

So what can you expect to find on arrival at a rally?

Well I can tell you this, the first open rally I attended had me struggling to find the location of the farm (make a u turn, you have arrived at your destination, turn around where possible grrrrrr!). I knew I was in the postcode area, but leafy tree lined roads obscured my view and I could not see the cars in the adjacent field. I did however happen upon a strange fellow wearing a Roman helmet knocking directional placards into the verges. Well it isn't every day you find a Roman legionary carrying a lump hammer in the middle of nowhere.

As it happened, the legionary was the chairman of the club who had put the dig on. You see, the thing with metal detecting is that it does attract some very colour full characters. Ok, some are verging on the eccentric, but that's the kind of thing that makes the hobby so interesting to me. 

When you finally arrive at the car park, you will usually be shown where to park. Be careful, as detectorists tend to park up and lay their machine out at the rear of the vehicle with machine leaning on their shovels. Now it would not be a good start to the day if you drove your Mondeo over a couple of Deus which had been left out in full display while their own quaffed on a cup of tea! 

Once parked up you will need to find the main man, not difficult if he wears a large red Greco Roman helmet!

On most reputable rallies you will be required to show your detecting insurance. This is best gained by either becoming a club member, where the club is affiliated to either FID or NCMD. Alternatively by joining either organisation direct. Now here is the hardest part of the day! Take your wallet/purse from your pocket and remove the required amount of money/fee. Now pass it to the person who is coordinating things. Members pay less than visitors, so anything from £5 to£45 dependent on the type of dig. You will usually be required to sign in and show your FID/NCMD card at this point.

Now you’re almost there, just a little while longer. You may have been handed a bird’s eye view map of the land, marking out the fields available, put it in your pocket you will need it.

It’s highly likely the organiser will want to brief everyone before the off, listen carefully to what they say. They are most likely to be able to point you in the best direction for finds. They usually give you a briefing on the dig rules and regulations.

Something i always like to do is to strike up a conversation with fellow enthusiasts. Not everyone wants to speak, but you will offend no one by trying. It’s a good thing to do for several reasons. One of which is that when out in the middle of nowhere , you can always say hello again and find out where the finds are coming up. Don't be shy, it’s good to talk.

Early doors at a rally in the West Midlands.

So the whistle goes and there......off.

Well here goes! Ok a quick check before i set off, water for drinking....check, spare battery.....check, map....check, snack....check, small plastic wallets for best finds...check.

(I always think it a good idea to have somewhere safe to put anything interesting hence the plastic wallets.)

 Some of the detectorists will have done hours of study on the land and will be telling everyone where the features and likely hot spots are. You can follow these guys to the hot spots if you so desire, no one will complain. They are not always on the right track though; however you can't beat good research.

The organiser will sound off to let you know you can get underway. I always find it an amazing sight when 80 or so detectorists do a charge of the light brigade up the field.

At this point I will say don't allow yourself to be intimidated by all of the guys with whistle and bells detectors! If they don't walk over it they won't find it. Hold your head high and enjoy your day out, after all you have paid for it.

The organiser will want to photo any nice finds you have, he will probably tell you where to meet for photos and at what time in the day to be there. There are often marshals dotted about; you can ask them any questions you may have. Remember the map in your pocket; you can be up to a mile away from the start point. The map will help steer you around the field without having a red faced neighbouring farmer loading up his 12 gauge because you are in the wrong field!

So enjoy your day and make friends, ho and don't forget to find something.

Good luck and god bless.

I think i have a gay cock Black bird?

Now I am no Ornithological genius, however I do have a small knowledge of birds. My observation of our winged friends in the last couple of weeks as brought to my attention a question I cannot answer. You see, there is a particular cock Blackbird living in my garden, that i have named Liberace. His music is fabulous, in fact his dawn chorus is worth waking up at 4.30am and listen to. Funnily enough though, he appears to be serenading a rather butch cock (male) bird that in my opinion is bi-curious! Liberace manages to overpower the songs of this other bird with his own beautiful ballad. This is where my question raises its head, is he gay?

Introducing Liberace.

Liberace has been seen on numerous occasions stalking this other male. They have what appear to be clandestine meetings under the wife's vw golf. In fact, they are so engrossed with each other that when I get near to them they don't seem particularly bothered. The bi-curious bird is always the one that fly's away first; Liberace gives a deathly stare to me and hops onto a nearby wall. 

Singing from the rafters.

Funny thing is that there appears to be a dearth of female blackbirds out there. I can honestly say I have not seen a single hen bird in my garden since Liberace took up residence. Even the real Liberace had women in his life. 

May be it's me being overly observant and reading something into a situation that doesn't exist. Or maybe Blackbirds can be gay, and like in our species the gay individuals are the best singers and showmen.

I think I had better open another beer and watch some rugby while I muse over this question.

woz.

Metal detecting in Staffordshire, with my son 2 detectors and lots of Parsnips.

8.30 am on a dreary Saturday morning.

After making the decision last night to cold call a couple of properties, we set out with some trepidation.

I started the Green Meany (my Green Renault Kangoo car) and headed about 12 miles from home. This was an area bang in the middle of 4 medieval hamlets. I pulled at the first farmhouse and parked on the main road (i don't like parking too close to the farmhouses I feel it makes the farmer wary of you). A short walk down a typical farm track led me to the barns and cattle sheds. There before my eyes stood a 4ft6 70 year old lady pushing a barrow of manure towards a gate in the cattle shed. I had to do a double take as it was hard to believe she could push a barrow. I had a bottle of Rose' in my hand as I asked her if she allowed detecting on the land? She did not say no, so i pursued the issue, telling her I did not mind if it was pasture or plough as land was so hard to get on. She said it was usually up to her husband, but she did not know where he was. At this point I realised she was beginning to worry. I thanked her for considering it, and said I would not push the issue if her husband was not about (one for the future). I moved on to the next farm up the road which had a retail business running from one of the out buildings. On the drive way to the farm a field was in the process of being seeded with potatoes. I stopped to ask the gang who were doing the work if any of them were the farmer? They informed me they were working for a farm who rented the field from the farmer whose drive I was on. They said I should ask in the shop on the farm. 

 flint still as sharp as a knife.

Parsnips galore.

Grim conditions

When i got to the shop it was quite busy, so I waited for it to quieten down before I made my move. I noticed the lad who had been serving was now free. I approached him with wine in hand and asked about permission? I said are you the guys who came on before? Immediately I knew I was halfway onto the fields. I said no, but if the farmer would be kind enough to let me on I would bestow upon him the finest bottle of chateau Walsall Rose' wine. The lad said he would try to find the farmer and ask. 2 mins later he came back and said he could not find the farmer! My heart sank, as I said "never mind, and thank you so much for trying". He then said let me have another look as he disappeared into another building. Again he came back and said sorry, but I will allow you to go on, if anyone asks say Mat said it was ok. I handed him the wine and thanked him profusely. He ran about 400 yards to some fields at the back of the farm, and then ran back and said "ok I have just looked and you can go on those fields but their boggy".

We drove to the field and parked the Green Meany well out of the way. The fields were indeed well waterlogged and well rutted. We were suited and booted within 5 minutes and off we went. Within 5 minutes I noticed some worked flint on the floor which I showed to my son saying there looks to have been some occupation on here for a long time. He then found a modern 10p (1980s).The whole field had been under a crop of Parsnips which littered the place. It amazes me how many get left behind when the harvest them. We found plenty of buttons and a whole bucket load of lead. Every now and then we would happen upon another flint lying on the surface. After 6 hours we had 3 spindle whorls, 1 Roman grott, three coppers (unrecognizable) a 1861 Vicky farthing, a musket ball, possibly a small fragment of Roman broach and various other regular field finds.

Vicky pendant farthing

flint shard

On our exit we stopped at the farm shop and Mat came out to greet us. I showed him our finds, and the flint. I said that there was sure to have been occupation in the Stone Age. He said that probably explains the axe head that another detectorist found. He then showed me a photo on his I phone of a lovely Bronze palstave axe had. I bid Matt farewell and asked if I would be welcome back, to which he said yes.

decorative button.

spindle whorl.

grot.

its amazing what you find in the woods.